27.12.15

The Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup in the 19th Century

April 1877

The Sheffield Football Association

The Sheffield Football Association was founded in 1867, but until 1877 the clubs played the Sheffield Rules variant of the game. In 1877 Sheffield adopted the Association rules, or rather the last differences were ironed out, the FA having already adopted several Sheffield innovations and reciprocal compromises having being reached (after the use of hands and touchdowns had disappeared from both sets of rules, offsides and throw ins had been the main sticking point).

The clubs of the Sheffield F.A. of 1877 were:

Albion

Artillery and Hallamshire Rifles

Attercliffe

Brightside

Brincliffe

Broomhall

Crookes

Exchange

Exchange Brewery

Fir Vale

Gleadless

Hallam

Heeley

Kimberworth

Millhouses

Norfolk

Norfolk Works

Owlerton

Oxford

Parkwood Springs

Philadelphia

Rotherham

Sheffield

Surrey

Thursday Wanderers

Wednesday

On March 19th 1877 Hyde Park Sheffield hosted a tournament for 'non association' clubs. The teams played for a prize of 3 footballs. The donor of the prize was unknown, but the local press carried reassurances that there was no move afoot to start a rival association.

In 1877 a rival association given the name Sheffield New Association was established in protest at the Sheffield FA's decision not to allow any club under two years old to become a member.The original members of the New Association were:

Alliance

Buckingham

Friends

Nether

Newfield

Owlerton Broughton

Park Friendly

Park Wanderers

Perseverence

Pye Bank

Rising Star

St Jude’s

St Phillip’s

Saxons

Sheaf United

In 1883 the New Association changed its name to The Hallamshire Football Association.

Sheffield Challenge Cup

1877

Wednesday

4

3

Heeley

1878

Wednesday

2

0

Attercliffe

1879

Thursday Wanderers

3

1

Heeley

1880

Staveley

3

1

Heeley

1881

Wednesday

8

1

Ecclesfield

1882

Heeley

5

0

Pyebank

1883

Wednesday

2

1

Lockwood Brothers

1884

Lockwood Brothers

2

0

Heeley & Middlesbrough

1885

Lockwood Brothers

2

0

Park Grange

1886

Mexborough

2

1

Heeley

1887

Wednesday

2

1

Collegiate

Sheffield New Association Challenge Cup

1878

Pye Bank

5

0

Owlerton Broughton

1879

Rising Star

4

1

Pitsmoor Christ Church

1880

Burton Star

2

1

Rising Star

1881

Intake

2

0

Burton Star

1882

Intake

1

0

Dronfield Exchange

Hallamshire

Challenge Cup

1883

Spital (Chesterfield)

?

1884

Eckington

4

3

Clinton

1885

Staveley

?

?

Eckington

1886

Staveley

3

2

Eckington

1887

Eckington

3

0

Clinton

At the end of the 1886–87 season a merger of the two associations was negotiated by Charles Clegg who took charge of the new association with Pierce-Dix as secretary.